The Wythe Hotel

Events At This Venue

Head to the Wythe Hotel from May 3-5 for a wide variety of programs for foodies and bookworms alike at the Food Book Fair. The fest promises “200+ Books, 60 Visionaries, 30 Indie Food Publications, 10 Cooking Demos, 6 Panel Discussions, 1 Tasting Event and an epic Pitch Competition!” We’ve collected the event information from the Food Book Fair site below, so go through and plan your schedule:

FOOD + FORAGING

Friday, May 3, 12:00PM-1:30PMPure KitchenForaging is gaining popularity in the food world. A growing number of menus feature hand-picked forest greens; wild-foraged mushrooms are delivered on your pizza; and your local gourmet grocer is selling freshly gathered seaweed. The rugged DIY appeal of foraging and the knowledge involved in the process can be fascinating to the discerning cook. What is the relationship between forager and chef? What does foraging teach about our natural environment? This discussion will highlight the collaboration of Chef Fredrik Berselius of Aska and forager Evan Strusinski. A show-and-tell format, our panelists will share some raw and cooked hand-gathered tastes of the season.

Friday, May 3, 2:00PM-3:30PMBegins & Ends at Wythe HotelBrooklyn has seen a remarkable coffee transformation in the past few years. Once a coffee desert, the borough is now a destination for freshly roasted beans, crema-capped espresso and unbeatable latte art. Wondering where you can find the best cortadothis side of the East River? Curious to see coffee roasting in action? Ever wonder how those scientific glass beakers craft a quality brew? Or what the guy next to you means when he orders a flat white?

Find the answers to these questions and more on the Food Book Fair Coffee Crawl! author Oliver Strand and coffee expert and founder of Illustration and Coffee, Lars Kolstad Huse, will satiate your coffee curiosity as they lead a tour of four Williamsburg’s premier coffee destinations. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at roasting, brewing and buying, and you’ll sample some of the best coffee the borough has to offer.

Friday, May 3, 2:30PM-3:30PMPure KitchenThese days we often know where our food comes from, but do we always understand why we’re eating it? Do we know the story behind the recipe or the ingredients?

America is a nation of immigrants, many of whom landed with little other than their traditions. The aroma of lamb-stuffed grape leaves, the tang of a particular pickle, the sweetness of a chocolate chess pie can carry us across time, distance and generations to connect with our heritage. Editors of American Food Roots, a new site celebrating the culture and diversity of American food, will lead a discussion about how these connections can broaden our understanding of who we are, both personally and as a country. Domenica Marchetti will share a taste from her latest cookbook, The Glorious Pasta of Italy.

At the end of the discussion, participants will be invited to record their own food stories for possible inclusion in My American Roots, a collection of video memoirs offered by American Food Roots.

Friday, May 3, 3:30PM-4:30PMWythe HotelThis panel focuses on how food inspires improvements in technology. How can great content and new technology partner to bring information about cooking to a wider audience, driving education and enabling self-advocacy? There is a growing focus on encouraging authors and writers to bring their expertise to new forms of online content through tech and new media. How can that technology help form communities between people with interests throughout food and media?

Friday, May 3, 4:30PM-5:30PMWythe Hotel, Screening RoomIf you’ve ever seen a head of Romanesco cauliflower, you know that food and design have a naturally occurring relationship. Increasingly, city planners, social media developers, artists, and product and graphic designers are using food and eating as inspiration. What is the future of edible design? How can function and flavor work together to improve our lives? Designers are constantly conceiving of new food-focused products, apps, and social platforms that help us make decisions from the micro to the macro. Hear a panel of experts discuss how they use food as subject, today’s most influential food and eating design philosophies, and how their projects are changing the world.

Saturday, May 4‚ 10:30AM-11:30AMWythe HotelAs businesses grow, they are in a powerful position to make an impact on our food system and environment. When the focus on local is so great, however, the desire to scale sustainable practices becomes a complex challenge. Global corporations might have the ability to purchase more organic food than any small business. How do wide-reaching organizations remain local as a purchaser? How are big companies making a difference for the small farms and businesses from where they source? How do they maintain integrity and quality control during growth? How difficult is it to stay creative while making dishes for a large audience? What sustainable choices are large companies making while maintaining profitability?

Saturday, May 4‚ 11:30AM-12:30PMWythe Hotel, Screening RoomAs words like organic, local and sustainable gain traction in mainstream society, some industry players argue that they lose meaning within our culture. What does local really mean and why should we care? Why does organic food matter? Is GMO food helpful or harmful? Despite the wealth of information that is available about modern agriculture these days, it seems many of us are still confused about the terms and how they help inform decisions for ourselves and for our planet. Our panel of experts will define keywords and answer crucial questions about modern food and farming.

Saturday, May 4, 12:30PM-1:30PMPure KitchenFood has the power to bridge cultural gaps and bring diverse people together. Cooking traditions are strongly embedded in the identity of a country. While taste can divide people, it also has the power to integrate. How can our food traditions be used to celebrate the past and move toward the future? Can cuisine play a role in diplomacy amongst nations in conflict? Panelists will consider these questions and more while highlighting the delicious cuisine of countries in conflict, including Iran, Iraq and Cuba. The session includes a tasty sampling from Anna Sofia Pelaez’s forthcoming book.

Saturday, May 4, 1:00PM – 2:00PMWythe Hotel, Screening RoomAre cookbooks meant for beauty, function or both? Our kitchen reading might provide inspiration, though it doesn’t always lead us to traditional forms of cooking. In a time where many of us are turning to online resources for our daily meals, are cookbooks becoming more art than instruction? Whether or not our books are intended as user guides or for the coffee table, cookbooks seem to be taking a different and intriguing form. They are filled with interesting content, rich storytelling and are inspiring us inside and outside of the kitchen. Join a panel of writers, editors and cooks as they discuss the evolving nature of reading in the kitchen.

Saturday May 4th, 2:00PM-3:30PMPure KitchenDid you ever think that you could eat a painting or taste a sculpture? Caitlin Freeman, of Blue Bottle fame, takes the edible art concept to the next level in Modern Desserts where she recreates classic works of modern art in the form of sweet treats. Her book is a totally readable, easy-to-follow guide for constructing cookies, cakes and frozen desserts inspired by the likes of Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse and Roy Lichtenstein’s greatest masterpieces. Join Freeman at Blue Bottle Coffee as she creates (or recreates) one of the classics from Modern Art Desserts right before your eyes. Everyone will get an opportunity to taste her art, ask questions and personalize their copy of her book.

Saturday, May 4‚ 3:30PM-4:30PMWythe Hotel, Screening RoomFatherhood is changing. There is a growing movement of fathers who are committed to celebrating and embracing their domestic roles. We might be entering a new era of domestic equality—a place where fathers take pride in sharing the domestic obligations that come with parenthood. What does the food movement have to do with new-age fatherhood? Are modern dads using meals to more easily connect with their children? Hear a panel of dads explore these questions in a discussion about this cultural shift in parenting.

Saturday, May 4, 8:00PM-10:30PMEgg RestaurantAuthor Brandon Baltzley will collaborate with Egg Restaurant’s Chef Ed Quish to celebrate the release of Baltzley’s memoir, Nine Lives, with a multi-course dining experience. The menu will be inspired by Quish and Egg’s seasonal, southern cooking and Baltzley’s shared roots in the south.

Sunday, May 5, 10:30AM-11:30AMWythe HotelWhat some people have called the dirty secret of the restaurant world, issues surrounding labor injustice at restaurants and food service establishments have always been contentious. Whether it is wages, sick days or health care, labor issues are especially acute in restaurants at every level, from the Michelin-starred to the hole-in-the-wall down the street. Why can or can’t restaurants pay a “living wage?” Are there economic, structural or political reasons for blocking the distribution of benefits and wages in this particular industry? Panelists will discuss the economic, social and political difficulties in securing benefits and living wages for food service workers and some possible solutions to solve labor issues in the restaurant industry.

Sunday, May 5, 1:30PM-2:30PMPure KitchenHiroko Shimbo is an authority on Japanese cuisine with worldwide recognition and serves as a chef-consultant for restaurants and food companies. She is a trained sushi chef, author, media performer and instructor, operating Hiroko’s Kitchen LLC, a consulting company, in New York City. Hiroko’s books have become known as wonderful resources for both professional chefs and home cooks. Join us for Hiroko’s cooking demo as she prepares some specialty bites.

Sunday, May 5, 1:00PM-6:00PMWythe HotelFood Book Fair and Slow Money NYC have partnered to inspire and educate people about the connected nature of investing strategy and food system change. We intend to honor the enterprises that will write tomorrow’s best-selling books about their innovative work.

RESOURCE FAIR

1:00pm-4:00pm

Small food start-ups are hungry for good information and high quality assistance. Like all small business, food enterprises need specialized services that cater to their unique needs. The Resource Fair will feature exhibitors who offer a range of services in the sustainable food and farming industry in the Northeast. Our diverse exhibitors include innovators of book publishing, social impact investing, education, food activism, community economic development, and entrepreneur services.

The following authors will be at the resource fair for a book signing:

Food start-ups are the new punk bands of today: DIY, urban, edgy and full of exuberance. For those of you about to cook (or plant), we salute you! Seed stage food enterprises will present their business concept in 5 minutes. Attendees cast a vote for their favorite proposal and a panel of expert judges will weigh in as well. Think Shark Tank for Sustainable Foodies. Extra points for integrating a written component into the business plan: books, blogs and Foodieodicals!

Sunday May 5, 8:00PM-10:30PMParish HallFood Book Fair weekend will conclude with Cooking by the Book #4. This will be a dinner inspired by Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain.

Parish Hall’s owner George Weld and Chef Evan Hanczor have conceptualized a four-course dining experience based on Craighead George’s coming-of-age story, an encyclopedia of the native wild foods of the Catskills and a hymn to the culinary possibilities of the woods and mountains of New York State. The dinner will feature beer from Brooklyn Brewery and wine selections by Parish Hall’s Matt Callahan.

Tickets are $65 (+$35 with pairings) per person.

Parish Hall is located at 109A North 3rd Street (between Berry & Wythe) in Brooklyn, NY.

NYC Brewer’s Choice returns on February 26 from 6-10pm as a featured event of the 6th Annual NYC Beer Week. This year’s event, which will be held for the first time at The Wythe Hotel here in Williamsburg, has an all New York focus. More than 16 NY state brewers will be on hand to pour and discuss some of their most special beers, all of with will be served alongside a loving food pairing provided by some of the city’s best restaurants. Jeff O’Neil of Peekskill Brewery will deliver the keynote address. Tickets are $65 and are available to purchase here.

On Thursday, April 27, Steve Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery Co-Founder and President and author of the forthcoming Craft Beer Revolution, will take part in Food Book Fair’s Food + Social Entrepreneurship, a conversation about launching and leading socially conscious businesses. As the fair so aptly points out: “a natural launchpad for enterprise, small food and drink establishments are an ideal vehicle to employ socially conscious practices.” This has certainly been our experience. Joining Steve on this panel are Ellen Gustafson, Co-Founder of FEED and Food Tank, author of We the Eaters and Christophe Hille of Northern Spy Food Co. and Fleisher’s Grass-fed Organic Meats. The panel will be moderated by Alex Postman, Executive Editor of Rodale Books. Book signing with Steve Hindy to follow. Tickets for the panel are available through Togather. Read more about the event and purchase tickets here: